On this day - May 18

• 0526 - St. John I, Catholic Pope (523-526), dies.
• 1048 - Omar Khayyam, was born (d. 1131). Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer .
• 1152 - Casamento de Henrique II de Inglaterra com Leonor, Duquesa da Aquitânia .
• 1268 - The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Battle of Antioch; Baibars' destruction of the city of Antioch was so great as to permanently negate the city's importance.
• 1475 - Nascimento do príncipe Afonso de Portugal (m. 1491).
• 1541 - Fundación de la ciudad de Valladolid en la Nueva España (actual ciudad de Morelia, México) por el virrey Antonio de Mendoza.
• 1551 - Domenico di Giacomo di Pace “Beccafumi” il Mecherino (or Mecarino), dies (b. 1486). Sienese Mannerist painter, sculptor, draftsman, printmaker, and illuminator. [Self-portrait; Birth of the Virgin; Stigmatization of St Catherine of Siena; Tanaquil; Madonna with the Infant Christ and St John the Baptist; Fall of the Rebellious Angels ].
• 1593 - Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe.
• 1616 - Johann Jakob Froberger, was born (d. 1667). German composer.
• 1631 - In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.
• 1652 - Rhode Island passes the first law in North America making slavery illegal.
• 1711 - Rudjer Josip Boscovich, was born (d. 1787). Croatian atomic theorist.
• 1712 - D. Nuno da Cunha e Ataíde torna-se Cardeal de Lisboa.
• 1727 - Chegada a Pequim da embaixada de Alexandre Mettelo de Sousa e Menezes, que tinha partido de Lisboa em 12 de Abril de 1724.
• 1765 - Fire destroys a large part of Montreal, Quebec.
• 1778 - Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry was born.
• 1781- Es ejecutado por los realistas el Inca José Gabriel Condorcanqui, conocido como "Tupac Amaru".
• 1783 - First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after leaving the United States.
• 1785 - John Wilson, was born (d. 1854). Scottish writer.
• 1797 - Frederick Augustus II of Saxony was born (d. 1854).
• 1798 - Em Portugal, foi autorizada a pesca livre da baleia.
• 1799 - Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, dies (b. 1732). French playwright.
• 1803 - Napoleonic Wars: The United Kingdom revokes the Treaty of Amiens and declares war on France.
• 1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate.
• 1807 - John Douglas, dies (b.1721). Anglican bishop.
• 1808 - Elijah Craig dies (b. 1738). Important to the invention of bourbon.
• 1827 - Antoine-Pierre Mongin, dies (b. 1761). French artist.
• 1828 - The Battle of Las Piedras, ended the conflict between Uruguay and Brazil.
• 1836 - Wilhelm Steinitz was born. The Czech-born world chess champion (1866-94) later became a naturalized American.
• 1837 - Marguerite Gérard, dies (b. 28 Jan 1761). French Romantic portrait and genre-scene painter. Dors mon enfant L’Enfant Chéri.
• 1846 - Nascimento do joalheiro russo Peter Carl Fabergé.
• 1848 - Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany.
• 1850 - Oliver Heaviside, was born (d. 3 Feb 1925). English physicist who predicted the existence of the ionosphere.
• 1857 - Emancipação da cidade de Caruaru, Pernambuco (Brasil).
• 1858 - Casamento de D. Pedro V com a princesa Estefânia de Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, ramo católico da casa real da Prússia. A rainha morrerá em Julho seguinte vítima de difteria.
• 1860 - Abraham Lincoln of Springfield, IL was nominated for the U.S. Presidency by Republican party leaders at a meeting in Chicago.
• 1863 - American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg begins, ending on July 4.
• 1868 - Nasceu Nicolau II, o último Czar da Rússia.
• 1869 - Surrender and dissolution of the Ezo Republic to Japan.
• 1872 - Lord Bertrand Russell, was born (d. 2 Feb 1970). English Mathematician and philosopher, best known for his work in mathematical logic and for his social and political campaigns in gfavour of pacifism and nuclear disarmament. He was awarded with the Nobel Prize for literature in 1950.
• 1883 - Walter Gropius, was born (d. 1969). German architect.
• 1883 - Eurico Gaspar Dutra, was born. President of Brasil (1945-50).
• 1889 - Thomas Midgley, was born (d. 2 Nov 1944). American engineer and chemist who discovered the effectiveness of tetraethyl lead (C2H5)4Pb in 1921 as an antiknock additive for gasoline.
• 1891 - Rudolf Carnap, was born (d. 1970). German philosopher.
• 1892 - Ezio Pinza, was born (d. 1957). Italian-born bass.
• 1895 - Nascimento de Augusto César Sandino. Guerrilheiro e héroi nacional de Nicaragua, que lutou contra a ocupação dos Estados Unidos.
• 1896 - The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate but equal is constitutional.
• 1897 - Frank Capra, was born (d. 3 Sep 1991). American Academy Award winning Director: It Happened One Night [1934], Mr. Deeds Goes to Town [1936], You Can’t Take It with You [1938]; It’s a Wonderful Life, Lost Horizon, Pocketful of Miracles.
• 1900 - The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga.
• 1900 - Jean Gaspard Felix Ravaisson-Mollien, dies (b. 1813). French philosopher.
• 1901 - Vincent du Vigneaud was born (d. 11 Dec 1978). American biochemist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1955 for his work on biochemically important sulphur compounds, especially for the first synthesis of a polypeptide hormone.
• 1902 - Meredith Willson, was born (d.1984). American composer.
• 1904 - Inauguração da sinagoga Shaaré Tikvá (Lisboa) .
• 1909 - George Meredith, dies (b. 1828). English novelist and poet.
• 1909 - Isaac M. F. Albéniz, dies at 48. Spanish pianist, composer.
• 1910 - Pauline Garcia-Viardot, dies (b. 1821). Singer, composer.
• 1910 - The Earth passes through the tail of Comet Halley.
• 1911 - Big Joe Turner, was born (d. 18985). American blues singer.
• 1911 - President / Dictator Jose Porfirio Diaz of Mexico term ends .
• 1911 - Gustav Mahler, dies in Vienna (b. 1860). Austrian composer. His wife Alma Schindler married Walter Gropius in 1915. Mahler left his 10th symphony unfinished. A 1996 recording was made based on work by Remo Mazzetti Jr. who in turn based his work on the late Deryck Cooke.
• 1912 - Walter Sisulu, was born (d. 2003). South African anti-apartheid activist.
• 1912 - Perry Como, was born (d. 2001). American singer.
• 1912 - Georg von Opel, German auto manufacturer, was born.
• 1913 - Charles Trenet was born in Narbonne, Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. Singer, actor (La Mer; Que reste-t-il de nos amours ?) .
• 1915 - Elman Rogers Service was born (d. 14 Nov 1996). American anthropological theorist and formulator of the nomenclature now in standard use to categorize primitive societies as bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states.
• 1917 - World War I: The Selective Service Act passes the U.S. Congress giving the President the power of conscription.
• 1918 - George Welch, was born (d. 1954). Pilot and war hero.
• 1919 - Dame Margot Fonteyn, was born (d. 1991). Ballet dancer.
• 1920 - Pope John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtiła) was born at Wadowice, a small town 50 Km far Cracovia, Poland (d. 2005). He became the 264th Roman Catholic Pope in 1978 being the first non Italian Pope since the Renaissance (after 456 years).
• 1920 - Lucia Mannucci, was born. Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra)
• 1922 - Kai Winding, was born (d. 1983). Jazz musician.
• 1922 - Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, dies (b. 18 Jun 1845). French physician, pathologist, and parasitologist Nobel Prize for Medicine 1907.
• 1924 - At the Olympics in Paris the American rugby team beat the French 17-3. Only France Rumania and America fielded rugby teams. Rugby was dismissed from the Olympics after rival fans rioted following the American upset victory.
• 1926 - Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a Venice, California, beach.
• 1927 - The Bath School Disaster: Forty-five people are killed by bombs planted by a disgruntled school-board member in Michigan.
• 1927 - The Ritz Hotel opened in Boston.
• 1928 - Pernell Roberts, was born in Waycross, Georgia, USA . Actor (Bonanza).
• 1929 - Jack Sanford, was born. Baseball player.
• 1929 - A FIFA escolhe o Uruguai para a Copa do Mundo em Futebol de 1930.
• 1930 - Joao Marcelino Arroio morre em Colares (n. 4 Oct 1861, no Porto). Regenerador. Professor de Direito. No Governo de António Serpa foi Ministro da Marinha e Ultramar e Ministro da Instrução Pública e Belas Artes ( de 5 Abr 1890 a 13 Out 1890) e Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros de Hintze Ribeiro (de 26 Jun 1900 a 1 Jun 1901). Compositor , pertence ao número dos fundadores do Orfeão Académico de Coimbra; compôs a música para as óperas "Amor de Perdição", "Leonor Teles", e a cantata "Inês de Castro", assim como a marcha "Camões", e isso além do que produziu como poeta e autor dramático.
• 1931 - Don Martin, was born (d. 2000). Cartoonist.
• 1931 - Robert Morse, was born. Actor.
• 1933 - New Deal: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority.
• 1934 -The Academy Award was 1st called Oscar in print (Sidney Skolsky).
• 1937 - Brooks Robinson, was born. Baseball Hall of Famer.
• 1937 - Jacques Santer, was born. Luxembourg statesman.
• 1938 - Muere en la ciudad de México, donde naciera el 13 de enero de 1876, Don Juan Sánchez Azcona, distinguido filósofo, literato, periodista, diplomático, escritor liberal y político revolucionario.
• 1939 - Hark Bohm, was born. Film director.
• 1941 - Fallece el economista Werner Sombart.
• 1941 - Malcolm Sim Longair was born. Scottish astronomer, noted for his scholarship and teaching, who in 1980 was appointed by Royal Warrant Astronomer Royal for Scotland, a post he held until 31 Dec 1990.
• 1941 - World War II: East Africa - The 5th Indian Division, part of General William Platt's Northern Force, take Amba Alagi after 18 days of fighting. The Italian commander, Duke d'Aosta, is the last one to leave the fortress.
• 1942 - Albert Hammond, was born. Musician and composer.
• 1944 - Justus Frantz, was born. Pianist.
• 1944 - World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino - Germans evacuate Monte Cassino and Allied forces take the stronghold after a struggle that claimed 20,000 lives.
• 1944 - Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.
• 1944 - World War II: SS troops burn down six villages in the Brkini hills in south western Slovenia.
• 1946 - Reggie Jackson, was born. Baseball Hall of Famer.
• 1946 - Mila Moreira, atriz brasileira.
• 1948 - The First Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China officially convenes in Nanking.
• 1949 - Rick Wakeman, was born. Musician (Yes), composer .
• 1949 - Bill Wallace,was born. Musician (The Guess Who) .
• 1950 - Thomas Gottschalk, was born. German TV show host .
• 1950 - Rodney Milburn, American athlete (d. 1997).
• 1950 - Mark Mothersbaugh, was born. Composer, musician.
• 1952 - George Strait, was born. Country musician.
• 1953 - Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier (she flew in a F-86 Sabrejet at an average speed of 652.337 miles per hour (1049.835 km/h) at Rogers Dry Lake, California).
• 1954 - European Convention on Human Rights went into effect.
• 1954 - Nascimento de Eric Gerets. Jogador belga de futebol.
• 1955 - Chow Yun-Fat, was born. Actor.
• 1956 - Maurice Tate, dies (b. 1895). English cricketer.
• 1957 - Ouezzin Coulibaly assume o cargo de primeiro-ministro de Burkina Fasso.
• 1958 - Ahmad Mukhtar Baban assume o cargo de primeiro-ministro do Iraque.
• 1958 - An F-104 Starfighter sets a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph (2,259.82 km/h).
• 1960 - Jari Kurri, was born. Hockey player.
• 1960 - Yannick Noah, was born. Tennis player.
• 1963 - Sukarno assume a presidência vitalícia da Indonésia.
• 1969 - Martika, was born. Cuban-American singer .
• 1969 - Apollo program: Apollo 10 launches.
• 1970 - Tina Fey, was born. Writer, comedienne, actress.
• 1971 - Bulgarian constitution went into effect.
• 1973 - Jeannette Rankin, dies (b. 1880). First woman elected to the United States House of Representatives.
• 1974 - Nuclear test: Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so.
• 1974 - Completion of the Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built at the time. It later collapses on August 8, 1991.
• 1974 - Felipe Folgosi, actor.
• 1975 - John Higgins, was born. Scottish snooker player.
• 1975 - Jack Johnson, was born. Musician.
• 1975 - Aníbal Troilo, tanguero, bandoneón mayor de Buenos Aires.
• 1975 - Leroy Anderson, dies (b. 1908). American composer.
• 1977 - A nightclub fire in Cincinnati killed 164.
• 1977 - Menachem Begin became Israel's Prime Minister.
• 1978 - Ricardo Carvalho, was born. Portuguese footballer. Former European Champion by FC Porto. Today he represents Chelsea.
• 1978 - Italy legalized abortion.
• 1980 - 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption: Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.
• 1980 - Former president Fernando Belaunde Terry was elected President of Peru. Democracy was restored and the media was free again.
• 1980 - Ian Curtis, dies (b. 15 Jul 1956). British musician, singer/lyricist with Joy Division.
• 1981 - William Saroyan, dies (b. 1908). American author.
• 1982 - Eric West, singer and actor.
• 1983 - Daws Butler, dies (b. 1916). Voice actor.
• 1983 - Sri Lanka impose a State of Emergency after election violence .
• 1988 - Bayer Leverkusen wins 17th UEFA Cup at Leverkusen .
• 1988 - Daws Butler, dies (b. 1916). Voice actor (b. 1916) .
• 1990 - Jill Ireland, actress (Carry on Nurse, Family), dies of cancer at 54
• 1990 - Both Germanys sign a monetary union treaty.
• 1993 - Danish people vote in favor of ratifying the Maastricht Treaty.
• 1994 - AC Milan wins Champions Europe Cup 4-0 against Barcelona
• 1995 - Elizabeth Montgomery, dies in Los Angeles(b. 1933). Actress. (Bewitched).
• 1995 - Alexander Godunov, dies (b. 1949). Ballet dancer and actor.
• 1995 - Elisha Cook Jr., dies (b. 1903). Actor.
• 1995 - Alain Juppé becomes Prime Minister of France.
• 1996 - Cruyff é destituído do cargo de treinador do F.C. Barcelona após 8 temporadas.
• 1997 - The 50th Cannes Film Festival awarded Golden Palms to Japanese director Shohei Imamura for "The Eel" and Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami for "The Taste of Cherry."
• 1998 - United States v. Microsoft: The United States Department of Justice and 20 U.S. states file an antitrust case against Microsoft.
• 1999 - Augustus Pablo, dies (b. 1954). Jamaican singer.
• 1999 - Betty Robinson, dies (b. 1911). Olympic runner.
• 2000 - Stephen M. Wolownik, dies (b. 1946). Russian musician and arranger.
• 2000 - In the Dominican Republic Hipolito Mejia was declared the winner in the presidential race after his opponents withdrew.
• 2003 - Anna Santisteban, dies (b. 1914). Organizer of the Miss Universe contest.
• 2003 - Barb Tarbox, dies (b. 1961). Anti-smoking crusader.
• 2003 - O tenista argentino Guillermo Coria vence o Masters Series de Hamburgo - Alemanha
• 2004 - Elvin Jones, dies (b. 1927). Jazz drummer.
• 2004 - Randy Johnson pitches a perfect game for the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the Atlanta Braves.
• 2004 - Pres. Bush formally nominate Alan Greenspan for a 5th 4-year term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
• 2004 - Elvin Ray Jones (76), renowned jazz drummer and member of John Coltrane's quartet who also played alongside Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, died in new Jersey.
• 2005 - Uefa Cup - Final a disputar-se no Estádio Alvalade XXI em Lisboa entre o Sporting e o CSKA. "We are the Champions" - I wish , i hope...
• International day of museums.
• International day of the internet.